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Race and Politics in the Age of Obama

Christopher S. Parker. "Race and Politics in the Age of Obama." Annual Review of Sociology, 2016: 42:217–30.

Many hoped that the election of the first black president of the United States would signal theend to what may rightfully be called the continuing significance of race. Indeed, as I write, weshould be into our seventh year of postracialism in the United States, but we are clearly not. The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the murders of blacksby whites underscores the continuing significance of race in the age of Obama. The racial strife oncollege campuses, including Ivy League institutions, is also indicative of the continuing significanceof race in America. Although the significance of race continues, we lack a clear understanding ofhow, if at all, the presence of Obama as a political figure affects how race operates in the contextof social and political life in the United States.